Man talk about a ending for a college football game. Trinity College in Texas laterals their way to victory on Saturday. It’s pretty crazy. Needing a touchdown to win and faced with about 65-yards to go, I still have no idea how they pulled this off.

Again, though, this is why we love sports. That and the Red Sox being up 3-0 on the Rockies.

If you’re watching game 3 of the World Series tonight, and don’t for a second think we won’t be around these parts, MLB charities has launched a new website: welcomebackveterans dot org. 

The goal is to help returning veterans reassimilate into civilian life, which can often be just as difficult as serving during wartime.  They’ll even be premiering a new PSA “Parade” narrated by none other than Tom Hanks.  He has a very soothing voice.   You’ll have to watch the game tonight to see the commercial, but if you could care less about baseball, then head over to the website where you’ll find lots of information and you’ll even be able to watch the commercial.

This is sort of getting to be a joke and it makes us wonder just what the hell is going on behind the scenes of NBC’s freshman drama reboot of Bionic Woman.  The promise and pedigree is there, but they can’t seem to get their shit together and we fear that the confusion behind the scenes is hurting the quality of the show.

Let’s backtrack a bit.  The show was given to Battlestar Galactica writer David Eick to get off the ground.  Seems like he laid a good foundation both in casting decisions and the overall tone of the show.  Unfortunately, it’s not nearly as political/topical/sci-fi as it could be, what with all the probing questions they could be asking about the nature of humans and robotics, etc.

Regardless, it’s still be a decent enough, if uneven romp.  Eick got Jason Smilovic on board as the show runner, but he left almost immediately.  Then they replaced him with Jason Katims, who was running both Bionic Woman and Friday Night Lights.  But now he’s out and Jason Cahill is in.

Cahill worked on The Sopranos, writing some of the best episodes that show had.  Hopefully, he’ll bring some stability to the show and the writer’s room, which has obviously been too chaotic.   Three showrunners in as many months generally spells trouble.

Well it’s official, as of 11:30 a.m. CST.  The Flaming Lips, what many consider to be the pride of Oklahoma City, have an alley named after the band appropriately in the city’s entertainment district.  It’s right off Micky Mantle Drive, north of the Bricktown Ballpark.

Today’s ceremony was classic Flaming Lips featuring, among other psychedelic objects, a giant video screen, fans dressed up in Santa suits and alien masks and a ginat three-dimensional globe.

Coyne for his part, thinks having an alley named after the band is fitting, since it’s more of a discovery, more of a secret that you stumble upon.  Much like the band themselves.

Check out Wayne doing his thing on local Fox 25.  It’s almost painful and surreal at the same time.  But trust us when we tell you, you haven’t seen it all until you see Wayne Coyne attempt to be the weatherman.

Anyone who’s from Boston or spent time living in the city knows that when it comes to the Red Sox and the city it’s pretty much a losing cause. So much so, that even the ownership of the New England Patriots get jealous over the love affair. They all sort of wonder what they have to do to get the same kind of love.

Regardless, Boston singer-songwriter Ryan Montbleau is facing this same up hill battle this weekend when he returns home to play Sat. and Sun. at The Paradise. He’s got a big following, big enough. Anyone who goes to see him or hears his music instantly becomes a fan. He’s authentic in every way. Before ever seeing him perform live and even before I knew what he looked like I could swear he was some old time R&B singer from the 70’s. He’s just got this old-timey soulful, jazzy vibe, so of course I was shocked when I found he was white. What can I say, it’s always a bit shameful when you’re confronted by your own racism. Since he’s been touring for so long, the band are true road warriors, the band only has two official studio releases.

You won’t be disappointed by either though. What is disappointing is the thought of the band cancelling their gigs this weekend because of the Red Sox. Now, I could understand if the Sox were at home for Games 3 and 4, which coincide with their Sat. and Sun. performances, however, those games are being played in Colorado.

From his blog:

I never cancel shows if there’s anything I can do about it. One time I cancelled because my van blew up in the desert. The other time I had strep throat and physicallly could not sing. That’s it. And now I was being asked to cancel because the Red Sox were in the World Series and there wouldn’t be enough ticket sales that night.

Forget it, I’m doing it, I told them. I have a responsibility to anyone who already bought a ticket for Sunday (there were about 85 or so presold) and that’s the end of it. They basically told me, “Yeah, but you should really cancel.” No, I don’t want to cancel. “Yeah, well, you should really, really cancel.”

Finally, after being pressured from all sides upstairs, I caved in. I want to do right by people and I just want to do what makes sense. Fine, we’ll cancel…

Then Live Nation tells us that they can’t honor Sunday tickets for Saturday.

So that means if someone bought a ticket for Sunday, they would have to refund their ticket, get screwed on the non-refundable fees that they already paid, buy a new ticket for Saturday and pay the fees all over again. Just to go to the show on a different night than they actually wanted to go.

F that. We’re playing on Sunday.

I’m sort of still freaking out a little because if not many people go this weekend, Live Nation will say “I told you so” and may stick it to us in the future. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. I think people are coming. And either way, I’m going to play my heart out for anyone who does come. That’s all that matters, right?

We’re setting up TVs in the club so people who want to watch the game can do that while we play. Normally I would never do something like that, but it’s in Boston and the Red Sox are in the World Series. I get it. I just want everyone to get what they want.

You can read more over at his blog. I think this is pretty terrible all around. Live Nation if they are pressuring him to cancel Sunday’s concert should do what’s right and honor Sunday’s tix on Saturday. Because it’s not like they’re the ones getting screwed it’s Ryan and his fans who bought tix. Good for him for sticking to his guns.

If you’re in Boston then go check him out you won’t be sorry. Sounds like Ryan is going to go above and beyond this weekend, which means an absolute killer show and best of all if you like baseball you’ll be able to catch the game on mute. And that means no Tim McCarver or Joe Buck.

Mp3: Ryan Montbleau Band - “Maybe Today”
Mp3: Ryan Montbleau Band - “This”
Mp3: Ryan Montbleau Band - “City (Begin)”

Their new album Patience on Friday is out now. Tour dates after the jump. MORE »

Culture Vulture has a look at the Dave Eggers and Spike Jonze penned screenplay for the 2008 release of Where the Wild Things Are, based on the classic children’s novel by Maurice Sendak.

Eggers has been one of the few literary rock stars of the past decade and Spike Jonze really doesn’t need to whip out his indie/hipster/scenester/cool kids badge anytime soon. He’s earned enough between his vidoes and the last two movies he’s directed.

But if there are two people in this world with the visual language (Jonze has that in bunches) and the wonderment of childhood (pick up any Eggers book and it’s easy to see his fascination with childhood) to successfully adapt this book, then these two guys are it.

Strange that there hasn’t been more coverage/leakage of this film at this point. So what does Culture Vulture think of the script?

In transforming the 338-word story of Where the Wild Things Are into a 111-page screenplay, Eggers and Jonze have fleshed out the story not, unexpectedly, with wild plot developments, and not, thankfully, with densely packed pop-fiction references. Instead Where the Wild Things Are is filled with richly imagined psychological detail, and the screenplay for this live-action film simply becomes a longer and more moving version of what Maurice Sendak’s book has always been at heart: a book about a lonely boy leaving the emotional terrain of boyhood behind.

Max, the hero of Wild Things, is now an 8-year-old with an absent father, an older sister who’s drifting away from him, a mother whose personal and job concerns leave her little time or energy for the rambunctious boy she dearly loves. Eggers and Jonze — mostly, we suspect, Eggers — touchingly sketch this troubled family unit and carefully track the rising frustration and alarm Max feels as his world becomes darker and more unhappy, until, on page 21, he runs away, climbs aboard a boat, and sails to the island of the Wild Things.

There Jonze’s influence begins to be felt, as the enormous creatures — with names like Carol, Alexander, and K.W. — look to Max as their King, and in a series of marvelous adventures, wrestle tornadoes, eat mud, and tame hawks. Always, though, there’s a subtle undercurrent of menace, and it becomes clear that while spinning a yarn, Jonze and Eggers are also taking us on a tour of Max’s psyche, as he works out so many of the issues that plague his young life. But any time the drama threatens to overcome the story’s wonder, along comes another visual cherry bomb to shake things up: a tiny model of a city with rivers for streets; a pile of Wild Things, wiggling and wet, with Max sleeping against them; Max’s final hiding place, and how he gets out. We won’t give too much more away, because the pleasures of this screenplay are in its moment-to-moment details and discoveries.

Interesting, no? Sounds like they’ve done a good job. If this and the early photo that leaked is any indication, then this will certainly be one of the more enjoyable movies of next year.

Mmmmm…. Pretty

There must be something in the ink at Advertising Age magazine. How else to explain such disparate agencies coming up with simultaneous campaigns which each use cool, sexy, hypnotic female vocals in the songs for their TV commercials?

If you’re like me, when you hear a cool song, and don’t know who recorded it, you will drive yourself CRAZY trying to find out.

The first ad wasn’t too difficult. It was Feist, doing “1-2-3-4″ in the Apple iPod commercial. Insanity partially averted. Amazing how this one ad catapulted this Canadian pop singer from relative obscurity (she was already immensely popular amongst music bloggers and those in the know) into a household name. She’s on Letterman getting her friends to sing backup, she’s selling out large concert hall venues, etc.

Next, there was the Liberty Mutual Insurance commercial. This was the “Responsibility” ad. I eventually discovered the song was by a band called Hem, off of their self-released CD, “Rabbit Songs.” The song is “Half Acre” although one blogger seems to think it is a different Hem song.

Most difficult was a very addictive song for–of all things–the Oregon Humane Society. Their TV ad to “End Petlessness” has a song by Portland singer/songwriter, Laura Gibson. The song is called “Hands in Pocket,” play the YouTube commercial, below; click on it to get related links including a full length video of Gibson singing the song at the Doug Fir Lounge.

[Jim here: not to step on Big Rob's toes or anything but I'd like to chime in with my own female singing commercial which drives me crazy. It's the Old Navy commercial and the song is "The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson. She looks like Lisa Loeb's younger sister. She's got the whole sexy glasses/sexy singer thing going on. I want her to marry me.]

I would like to say, “Sanity completely restored” but I’m more honest with myself than that.

Mp3: Feist - “1-2-3-4″
Mp3: Hem - “Half Acre”
Mp3: Laura Gibson - “Hands in Pockets”
Mp3: Ingrid Michaelson - “The Way I Am”

This week President Bush presented the first Medal of Honor awarded for combat in Afghanistan to the parents of Lt. Michael Murphy, a Navy SEAL who gave his life to make a radio call for his team. Please take a minute to watch the video and hear this important story.

We need to take a second to remind ourselves about the truly important people in this world. Lt. Michael Murphy is one of them.

How bad was 24: Day 6?  Wow, it was atrociously bad that’s how much.  I’m guessing, and this is unscientific conjecturing on my part, that if you were to poll 1,000 fans of the show probably 9,985 would say Day Six blew.  Just got on it’s knees in a Minnesota Airport bathroom and did the dirty.

There’s even websites popping up over the shows suckitude.  And we couldn’t agree more.  There’s nothing worse than watching one of your friends go from being a really cool unknown to hanging out with the football team to eventually doing coke and getting plastic surgery.

More than anything it was like the writers didn’t even try to come up with anything topical, politically relevant (or if they did it was abadoned really quickly) or new.  Ever plot contrivance felt like it was cribbed from a previous season and as the day wore on it was clear that one of the most beloved shows on television had lost its way.

In January, Jack Bauer will return.  The cast has been completely overhauled and the producers have shifted the action from L.A. to Washington D.C.  CTU is gone, so maybe things will be better.  We don’t know.  We just know they have to do something to shake things up.

Bauer vs. Almeida … let the torturing commence.  24 returns in January 2008.

Summer 2008 is going to be a special time of the year.  We’ve just about given a sloppy kiss to both The Dark Knight and Iron Man. 

So why not give a little more love to the latest from the caped crusader.  We’ve been vaguely following the proposed Justice League of America developments, but somehow that doesn’t really excite us as much as it should.  Probably because it’s just going to seem lame, despite a great director in George Miller.  Batman will be making a cameo in that movie, but it won’t be with Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne.

With that said, if you go to the official website of The Joker, whysoserious dot com you’ll be treated to a jack-o-lantern which looks curious similar to the pumpkin on the cover of Jeph Loeb’s comic book The Long Halloween.  The candle is burning and one wonders if it’s a countdown of sorts to another teaser trailer for The Dark Knight.  We’ll keep you posted.

The Sargasso Sea is a shipping no man’s land. An elliptical stretch of water from Bermuda to England, there are scant winds and a plentitude of seaweed, often making it treacherous to cross by boat.

If the intention of Philly five-piece Lotus, in naming their new live album after this mysterious area (many boats are said to become trapped there), was to elude to them breaking out in the techno-rock genre, then kudos to them for an aptly named album.

It seems that music critics love to adopt certain bands every so often from particular genres and just flog the hell out of them. No disrespect to the likes of LCD Soundsytem (just incredible really) but it’s bemusing to watch Jame Murphy and company be adopted by indie rockers even though they are essentially crafting dance music.

That Lotus makes similar music (full of cowbells and whah-whah guitar licks and throbbing bass lines) but has been adopted by the jam band crowd is something of a mystery to me.

All of that is preamble to say that Lotus’s new double live album is an adventurous romp through several different genres, all the while crafting something utterly listenable. The 12 tracks were culled from multi-track recordings during their 2006 tour.

Think of this album as one you could put on at a small cocktail party. It’s neither brash enough to become annoying, nor is it sedate enough to effectively kill the party. The all-instrumental tunes are lively enough to keep party-goers pushing on through to the early morning, but offers something that booty-shaking hip-hop doesn’t — it’s enjoyable to listen to. Whether its funky, jazzy, spaced-out and new-agey or just rocking these guys manage to pull it off. It’s as if with each track they explore just how far they can go within the boundaries of the composition.

Well crafted music from a top-notch band to keep an ear on. Plus, we haven’t seen album artwork this dope since Iron Maiden was dropping rifts.

Standout tracks include: “Wax,” “Through the Mirror” and the trifecta of “Sunrain > Flower Sermon > Sunrain”

Thanks to EW we’ve got a list of the “